Written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, based
on characters by Sergio Pablos.

Directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda.

GRADE: B-

REVIEW:

There comes a time when a franchise wears out its welcome. I’m
not sure if Illumination’s Despicable Me
series is there, but it seems to be getting close. Despicable Me 3 hits theaters this weekend, two years after the
successful Minions spinoff and four
years removed from Despicable Me 2 (Minions 2 is coming in 2020). I’m fairly
certain that oversaturation inevitably leads to audience fatigue, which leads
to “shark jumping” stunts to remain relevant. The latest installment in the DM franchise illustrates some of these
fears.

Steve Carell is back to voice Gru, the former
super-villain-turned-spy, along with his new wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) who is
the adoptive mother of Gru’s adopted daughters Margo, Edith and Agnes (Miranda
Cosgrove, Dana Gaier and Nev Scharrel). When Former 80s child star-turned-evil
mastermind Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker) steals a precious diamond to build a
super weapon, Gru and Lucy are fired by the new Anti Villain League (AVL)
leader Valerie Da Vonci (Jenny Slate) for failure to apprehend him. A short
time into his unemployment, Gru learns he has a long, lost twin named Dru (also
voiced by Carell). Dru has grown up in privilege due to the exploits of the
twins’ father (also a master villain), and contacts Gru in hopes of learning
the tricks of the trade. He convinces Gru to team up and try again to capture
Bratt, not knowing that his brother intends to use the caper to get back in the
AVL. The caper goes pretty much as you’d expect, as the brothers must overcome
unfamiliarity and sibling rivalry to gain success.

Despicable Me 3
isn’t quite as good as the first two DM
films, but slightly better than the Minions
spinoff. The main flaws are the lack of conflict (the great final caper seems
to go off without a hitch, controversy, major risk factor or moral dilemma
involved) and the movie feels more like a placeholder to keep the franchise
going. The sudden revelation of a long, lost twin to the main character is the
very essence of a “shark-jumping” gimmick, leaving little room for character
development or relevant storytelling. It
seems as though Universal Studios and Illumination Animation are content to the
keep the cash cow going rather than trying to create a good story. Even the
peripheral characters like Gru’s three daughters appear to be hanging out as
part of the scenery rather than having anything relevant to add to the story.

There are a few funny and cute moments, along with plenty of
Minion potty humor to keep the preteens giggling, but Despicable Me 3 lacks some of the heart and soul of the first two
movies.